This morning when I woke up, I didn't give much thought to the temperature or the weather. I got up as usual and got ready for my work day..wearing a pair of jeans and a summer blouse. Around 11 oclock I left the house for the first time and was pleasantly surprised to feel that first cool snap in the air that Fall has to offer! It didn't take long for the weather to put me in the mood of coming back home, changing into an oversized sweatshirt, and settling in for a lazy Fall day. My husband was fairly displeased with the weather, as he prefers the Summer and as much heat as he can find! Winters are difficult for him, as he does not tolerate the cold very well. Not surprising....he's a California boy!
Fall and Spring are my two most favorite seasons...not too cold...not too hot....just right. We go through summer wanting to get out of the house every chance we get. We enjoy being outside...in the water...soaking up the sun...and at my house that means being away from the house as much as possible. But in the Fall...something in the air flips a switch inside of me. All of a sudden...I'm no longer interested in being out of the house. It makes me ready to buy pumpkins and carve them, set out pots of Mums on the front porch, make Fall wreaths for my door, rake leaves, put on a pot of stew, and bake lots of yummy goodies that you dont even think about in the Spring or Summer! Fall gets here and all of a sudden I feel like Suzie-Q the Homemaker!
I had been pondering these very things in my mind the whole time I was laying in the orthodontist's chair. There are full length windows all the way around the office, so while I was laying there waiting for the orthodontist to come in, I could see the mist falling and the trees blowing....and I thought it was sort of strange that the weather is already changing and it's only the middle of September. I can remember back to years when I was still wearing shorts at the end of October! Anyhow....I left my orthodontist appointment, drove home and stopped at the mailbox to get the mail before going inside to work.
Coincidence? Accident? A sign from someone that I need to cook more? LOL Who knows....but it was so odd that in my mailbox today was a COOKBOOK entitled "Fall Favorites" from Gooseberry Patch....that I had NOT ordered. I thought to myself that it must belong to someone else and it was put into my mailbox accidently...but when I flipped it over...there was my name stamped on the back. COOL...I love cookbooks, although my husband does a lot of the cooking right now because of my work and school schedule. If it were left up to me to get dinner going...we would be eating every night at about 11 oclock! I flipped through it and found tons of great recipes...yummy stuff that will be perfect for this Fall and Winter season. I'll be sure to continue sharing them with you. Here is one of the first ones that I intend to try. Can't you just picture yourself sitting on the couch, all curled up in something cozy...savoring EVERY bite of this lusciousness? LOL I certainly can! If you try this, please shoot me a message to let me know how it turned out! Thanks
CARAMEL APPLE BREAD PUDDING
3/4 cup Washington apples, chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 T. butter
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups thickly sliced bread, cubed
1/3 cup Sun-Maid raisins (or you can use currants as well)
CARAMEL TOPPING
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Karo light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine dried apples and water in a medium saucepan. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes until the aopples are very soft and the water is absorbed. Stir in the brown sugar and butter. Reduce heat. Cook and stir until the apples are coated and the mixture is syrupy, about 3 minutes. Spread evenly in a lightly buttered 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the bread cubes and raisins (or currants). Pour over apple mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm with caramel topping.
To make the caramel topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar, cream and corn syrup until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Top the bread pudding with as much of the caramel topping as you would like. Recipe makes about 6 servings of bread pudding.
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